Why should anyone know that the MEC doesn't have a "BOD" when they can't even name the members of the MEC..... APATHY.....
Most pilots don't know the difference between MEC members and officers, and they don't know the names of them.... yet they say "ALPA speaks for me and I tell them what to say".... How is that when you don't even know who they are?
So well said. As I've said before, I really don't have a dog in this fight anymore, so it's not really my fight. I'm gone in a month's time. However, Joe makes an excellent point. Apathy is about the worst trait you can have as a member of a unionized workforce (or, as a human being, come to think of it)
ASA pilots.. educate yourselves. Know your reps, know you negotiating committee, and know this TA backwards and forwards before you even think about casting a vote. I proudly say, "ALPA speaks for me", but I know all of my reps. I know most of them personally. I know MEC and LEC folks and ALPA lawyers. I know committee volunteers and P2P reps. I am both.
My point is this.. get involved. There's plenty of work out there to be done. If you don't want to get involved, at least get knowledgeable. Know the issues. Understand what's going on. And, for God's sake, sit down with this TA for a few hours and make sure it is a contract you can live with. The worst thing you can do is to say, "Well, they TA'ed it so it must be ok" and vote yes (or... on the other side of the coin.. "Well, the company stalled this thing for too long and they're a bunch of A-holes, so I'm voting no.") Look at your situation and look at this TA. If it's a suitable improvement, vote yes. If not, vote no. Whichever way you're leaning.... VOTE!! And make your vote an educated one.
Joe and I don't agree on much, but I think we do agree on this. Educate yourselves, and make an informed decision. What's more important, sitting down with the TA for a few hours to think about how you really feel about it or going out drinking with your buddies or your date for the evening? Make no mistake, this is the document that will control your working life for several years (probably the entire time you work here for a lot of you). Knowing that, exercise due dilligence. Make sure the agreement you vote on is an agreement you can live with.
ps.. Joe... Sorry if I picked up your ball and ran a little too far with it, but I think you'd agree with my basic sentiments
